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Scott Goodall
Scott Goodall (b. Aberdeen, 7 November 1935) joined an insurance company after leaving school, then did his National Service in Japan and Korea in 1954-1956. He returned to Aberdeen and got a job with a weekly newspaper called The Bon Accord, which folded in 1959. He then joined DC Thomson for a year, working on a romantic magazine for girls that was never published, before moving to London to work as a sub-editor on IPC's Mirabelle. Within six months he went freelance, writing a series of monthly titles for Velio Vuolo's art agency V. V. Artists. This led to work with IPC, including "Walter Hottle Bottle" for Jack and Jill, edited by Stewart Pride, "Life with Uncle Lionel", drawn by Hugh McNeill, for Princess, edited by David Roberts, and "Surprise Corner" and "Vanessa from Venus" for June, edited by Mavis Miller. IPC managing director Leonard Matthews introduced him to the boys' adventure department, and from 1965 to 1976 he wrote "Captain Hurricane", drawn by Ronald Rylance, for Valiant, working for editors Sidney Bicknell and Jack LeGrand, alternating with staff writer Desmond Pride for the first couple of years. Other strips he wrote for Valiant include "Kelly's Eye", "The Steel Claw", "Adam Eterno", "Cursitor Doom" and "Janus Stark". In the mid-1960s he wrote "Thunderbirds", drawn by Frank Bellamy, for two years in TV Century 21, as well as "Zero X" with Mike Noble, "Lady Penelope", "Stingray", "Joe 90" and "Captain Scarlet" for the same title. He wrote for Buster from 1968 to 1982, including over 300 episodes of "Galaxus, the Thing from Outer Space", and created "Fishboy" with John Stokes, which ran from 1968 to 1975. He and Stokes also created "Marney the Fox". Other strips he wrote for Buster include "The War Children", set in the occupied channel islands, "Charlie Peace", and "Zarga, Man of Mystery" with Joe Colquhoun. In 1968, he wrote "The Indestructible Man", drawn by Jesús Blasco, for the short-lived Jag. He co-created "Splash Gorton" with Joe Colquhoun for Tiger in 1969, edited by Barrie Tomlinson and Paul Gettins. Other strips he wrote for Tiger included "Rod and Line", "Tallon of the Track" and "Tornado Jones". In the late 1960s he wrote longer adventures of "The Steel Claw" and "The Shrinker" for Fleetway Super Library, edited by Gil Page. In the early 1970s he wrote for Scorcher, edited by David Hunt, including "The Amazing Strollers", "The Roly-Poly Rovers", "Brainey's Bombers" and "The Boy In The Velvet Mask", and filled in for Tom Tully on Roy of the Rovers. At the same time he wrote a variety of stories for Bob Paynter's juvenile comics line, including "Kid Chameleon" (with Joe Colquhoun) and "Rat Trap" for Cor!!, and "Rogan on the Run" and "Thingumajig" for Whizzer and Chips. For Battle Picture Weekly he wrote "The Flight of the Golden Hinde", "The Sarge", "The Douglas Bader Story", "Sailor Small" and "The Wilde Bunch". For Action (the toned-down version in 1977) he wrote "Double Dynamite" and "School for Survivors". In the late 1970s he wrote "The Kicktail Kid" for TV Comic, and "On the Buses", drawn by Harry North, for Look-In. He wrote episodes of "M.A.C.H. 1" in the early issues of 2000 AD, and "Storm" for Tornado. He revived "Rat Trap" for the new Eagle in the early 1980s, and also contributed "The Invisible Boy" and "Walk or Die", and episodes of "Manix". He was awarded the MBE in 2005 for services to the history of the Second World War. References *An interview with Scott Goodall, Comics UK, 12 May 2005 *Scott Goodall MBE - Writer 1968 to 1982, Bustercomic.co.uk *Profile on Barney's Droid Zone Online reference Category:Creators G Category:Writers Category:Valiant writers Category:Roy of the Rovers writers Category:Battle writers Category:Action writers Category:2000 AD writers Category:New Eagle writers Category:Born in 1935